I had a epiphany as we headed along the Heads of the Valleys route to Swansea: I really don’t know Wales at all. There were familiar place names – mostly rugby or industrial decline related – but I’ve never visited any of them. That is shameful. Especially as the route takes in parts of the Brecon Beacons, before crossing the post-industrial landscape of South Wales, and finally depositing you on the magnificent Swansea Bay.
It’s essentially a showcase for why you should visit Wales. I decided there and then to make an effort in future. At least this wasn’t my first visit to Swansea. The first – and only other – visit was to hike along the utterly stunning Gower Peninsula. This is one of the most beautiful stretches of British coastline imaginable. I am not alone in this belief, local lad Dylan Thomas was also a big fan. It’s not hard to see why.
We were in Swansea for a family gathering and, against expectation, the weather was warm and sunny. That allowed us to take a walk along the section of the Gower known as Three Cliffs Bay. On this dramatic and windswept coastline, the bay is one of the true highlights. It’s not just the natural beauty that sets the Gower apart. It is littered with the remains of the Bronze and Iron Age civilisations that thrived here
Humans though have been here much longer. In 1823, Oxford geologist William Buckland was excavating the remains of mammoths in Paviland Cave and found a human skeleton. It was covered in red ochre and the burial included shell beads and carved ivory. Because of the jewellry, the skeleton became known as the ‘Red Lady’. Almost two centuries later, it was discovered that it was in fact a man and he was over 30,000 years old.
The Gower is all wide picturesque bays with amazingly good beaches, salt marshes and dramatic coastal cliffs and rock formations. The green interior of the peninsula has downland rising into hills that provide extensive views over the coast. It’s no surprise this was the first site in Britain to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The ruins of several castles are dotted across the peninsula.
On that walk some years ago we left Rhossili Bay and passed a rock formation jutting into the sea called the Worms Head. It’s easy to see why. The clifftop walk from there to Port Eynon was incredible, although it had competition from the vast sweep of golden sand at Oxwich Bay. I couldn’t work out why the beaches weren’t busier. We ended the walk on the other side of Three Cliffs Bay before heading back to Mumbles.
It was great to re-acquaint myself with one of the best coastal walks I’ve had the pleasure of hiking. and to spend a bit of time in Swansea and the lovely Mumbles coastline. It’s an area of Swansea famous as the home of Catherine Zeta-Jones. It should be better known for its fabulous promenade and clutch of good restaurants serving delicious seafood. It’s also home to Oystermouth Castle.
Oystermouth Castle is a picture postcard Norman castle dating to 1106, possibly earlier, and even more picturesque thanks to its location overlooking Swansea Bay. It once had a twin in the centre of Swansea, which is now a shell surrounded by truly unsympathetic modern architecture. As a major industrial centre, Swansea endured a lot of bombing in the Second Worls War and suffered at the hands of post-war urban planners.
On a sunny April day though, Swansea buzzed with life and I strolled to Tawe Basin at the docks. The National Waterfront Museum is the big attraction. It tells the story of the relationship between the docks and Wales’ industrial history over the last 300 years. Nearby, there’s a sculpture to Dylan Thomas, one of the finest and most beloved poets to have ever put pen to paper.
After a quick beer in the old Pump House, now a pub, I wandered through the town and onto the promenade along Swansea Bay. It was fabulous in the sun. Remembering his childhood, Dylan Thomas famously described Swansea as an “ugly lovely town“. It’s a description that captures Swansea’s rough edges, and hints at the history, culture and spirit to be found here. It would be well worth another visit.
